Teaching Your Dog to Swim

dog swimYou may have watched television shows that feature dogs that know how to swim. However, in reality, not all dogs can swim. Before teaching your dog how to swim, you need to make sure if your dog’s breed is capable of swimming. Also you need to follow these instructions.

Swim with your dog first – You do not just throw the dog to the water and check if it can dog paddle. The best way to train your dog to swim is to go out in a pool or lake where you can enter the water with it. Your dog would feel more confident if you are standing with them.

Coax the dog to swim – Bring a favorite toy and encourage it to catch the toy as you throw it at a safe distance on the water. Make sure that the toy is not big enough to block the dog’s airway, making tennis balls out of the equation.

Bring another dog – Dogs tend to imitate another dog’s behavior. If you have a dog that can swim, or if your friend’s dog can swim, have it over by the pool as well. This would encourage your dog to try swimming.

Bring a life vest – There are dog-sized life vests available in pet stores. These usually have handles on the back part of the vest so you can hold onto your pet easily. This would also help in lifting your dog out of the water.

Rinse your dog after swimming – Make sure to rinse your pet dog with fresh water after swimming to get rid of bacteria and chemicals that would be harmful to your dog’s coat and skin. You can also rinse the dog before going to the swimming pool to avoid the coat from absorbing the chemicals.

Pets – GuideTo.Com

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